Plectropterus gambensis
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The spur-winged goose (Plectropterus gambensis) is a large, Sub-Saharan African waterbird in the family Anatidae, which includes geese and shelducks. However, P. gambensis developed unique environmental adaptations, which resulted in the evolution of several anatomical features that are not shared with other anatids; thus, the species has been classified one step further into its own subfamily, the Plectropterinae.
Adults are 75–115 cm (30–45 in) long, and weigh an average of 4–6.8 kg (8.8–15.0 lb) (rarely up to 10 kg (22 lb)), with ganders (males) being noticeably larger than the geese. The wingspan can range from 150 to 200 cm (59 to 79 in). One source claims the average weight of males is around 6 kg (13 lb) and the weight of females is around 4.7 kg (10 lb). However, 11 individuals that were banded in South Africa, were found to average only 3.87 kg (8.5 lb), with a range of 2.4 to 5.4 kg (5.3 to 11.9 lb). Another South African-based study found 58 males weighing an average of 5.52 kg (12.2 lb) and measuring 98.1 cm (38.6 in) in total length; meanwhile, 34 females averaged 3.35 kg (7.4 lb) in weight and 84.2 cm (33.1 in) in total length. Among standard measurements... Wikipedia →
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disney's Animal Kingdom | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Cleveland Metroparks Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Johannesburg Zoo | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Dallas Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Wildlife World Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | São Paulo Zoo | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 8 | Catoctin Wildlife Preserve and Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Singapore Zoo | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 10 | Zoologischer Garten Magdeburg | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 11 | El Paso Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Giraffe House | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 13 | World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary and Monkey Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Spur-winged Goose sighting in Mana Pools National Park on a given day, based on 207 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 48th most-seen of the 275 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and August
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Spur-winged Goose in Mana Pools National Park on a given day, against about 20% in December, the lowest month. March has too few records to rate.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Spur-winged Goose sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
8th of 38
Of the 38 parks where we can rate Spur-winged Goose sightings, Mana Pools National Park ranks 8th at about 40%. The best odds are in Liwonde National Park (Malawi, about 70%), Gonarezhou National Park (Zimbabwe, about 60%) and Chobe National Park (Botswana, about 50%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Anatidae
The closest relatives of the Spur-winged Goose that you can see in Mana Pools National Park (family Anatidae, Ducks, Geese, and Swans) are Egyptian Goose (about 70%), White-faced Whistling Duck (about 10%) and Comb Duck (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Spur-winged Goose is recorded against all the birds logged in Mana Pools National Park (207 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
